Angel di Maria absence opens door for Goncalo Guedes

Goncalo Guedes looks set to get his first league start for Benfica since early November with Angel di Maria set to miss Friday's game against Famalicao due to the fact that he will be attending his sister's wedding in Argentina and has been given permission by the club to extend his holidays and miss the Week 15 encounter.

Guedes has yet to play a full ninety minutes with Benfica this season, thanks in part to injuries, but also because Roger Schmidt prefers to roll out just about the same line up for every encounter. Guedes who is on loan from Wolves until the end of this campaign has appeared in 12 games this season across all competitions, providing two assists in 251 minutes of action. 

Guedes possesses the qualities of a great winger and Benfica are hoping that he will put that on display on Friday as the club looks to take all three points in their league encounter.

Marseille eye Benfica striker for January move

A salvation for Benfica could be coming in January, with reports from La Tribune Olympienne that Marseille are interested in making a move for the out of favour striker who has just not been able to fit in with the Lisbon side since arriving from Fiorentina in the summer.

Cabral has scored a meager three goals this season in eighteen appearances across all competitions and has yet to score a goal in league play, all this while seeing 644 minutes of action, as his lack of production has cost the 25 year old playing time with the squad.

Benfica acquired Cabral from Fiorentina for €20M in hopes that the Brazilian would replace the goal production lost by the departure of Goncalo Ramos, who moved to PSG a few weeks prior but Cabral's lack of finish and issues with the club's fans (drive by flipping of the bird) have made the latest rumours of Marseille's interest, welcome news.

 

Benfica move into Final Four of Taca da Liga

Benfica came into their final group game of the Taca da Liga, coming off a 1-0 nail biting victory over Braga on the weekend. The Lisbon club came ready to host AVS (formerly Aves) with a goal of advancing into the Final Four of the Taca da Liga after missing out last season.

AVS opened the scoring, putting a scare into Benfica and the crowd, but Angel di Maria, Joao Mario, Tiago Gouveia, and an own goal saw the home side capture the victory easily (4-1) when the night was said and done. Benfica will now take on Estoril in one semi-final for a place in the Final, which is set for January 27, 2024, at the Estadio Municipal de Leiria.

On a scary note, a fan was stabbed during the game. Police and firefighters were quick to respond, and the man was taken to the hospital, where it is reported in Portugal that he is currently in stable condition.